Five UAE officials among dead in Kandahar bombing

This picture taken on January 10, 2017 shows Afghan policemen standing guard at the site of an explosion near the governor's compound in Kandahar. AFP / JAWED TANVEER

AFP

Abu Dhabi: Five officials from the United Arab Emirates were among the dead in a bombing in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, the Emirates' official WAM news agency said on Wednesday.

The officials were "on a mission to carry out humanitarian, educational and development projects", the news agency said.

UAE President H H Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered three days of mourning "in honour of the martyrs who gave their lives in defence of humanitarian causes", it added.

The blast, which struck the provincial governor's office during a visit by the UAE delegation, was one of a string of bombings that hit three Afghan cities on Tuesday, killing some 50 people and wounding 100.

The carnage underscores growing insecurity in Afghanistan, where US-backed forces are struggling to combat a resilient Taliban insurgency as well as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants.